October 10, 2011

House Planning

We are in the planning phase for our new home right now. This process is so much fun and yet so scary because I am committing to something on paper without having seen it.

We knew when we started looking at house plans that we would be confined by our climate but I did not realize just how much. I love Southern homes but I don't live in a Southern climate.

The original plan chosen was this one

I love this plan but after visiting our lumber supplier, I realized that the use of wood on the exterior is not an option for us. The porch spindles need to be a composite material which I think looks plasticy and wood spindles equal insane maintenance. So now, with the help of an architect and our contractor, we are making a hybrid plan.

There are many similarities between the first plan exterior and the new exterior. But there are some noticable differences. We will be going with a front elevation that looks more like this.

(Gaye Drew's Home - Featured in Southern Living)

I like the look of the white Hardy Plank siding, which works well in our climate. I also love the front porch. There are no spindles to worry about, just columns. As long as the columns are done correctly and scaled appropriately, we should have a lovely finished product. I also really like the stone accent around the foundation which you can see more closely in the first photo of the post. The best part is that this is actually not stone but an Owens Corning product made of stone and fashioned to work for wet and cold climates.

The front door is another issue. I really wanted a traditional wood door like this.

Again, our lumber men broke my heart explained that wood doors warp and they lose their beauty quickly around here. So now I'm looking at something more like this.

This is a wood door with alumnium clad protection on the front. I am also researching fiberglass doors to see how those look.

In the midst of everything I am still a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a keeper of our home, etc. It has been busy around here.

6 Comments

I love the new plans for your home! Beautiful and traditional and functional for your climate! I just showed my husband the picture of your new home and he said we should buy some land and build a home like that! We both LOVE that style of home! Those big columns are amazing!

I like it. All of your choices are top quality in terms of design and structure. I wanna see it all done in the future. Be prepared, though. Building a large and beautiful house such as this is not cheap. But it will be all worth it.